Treatment for those addicted to marijuana is available for those who simply seek the help they need.

There are a different options, and they range from simple drug abuse counseling, group meetings similar to Alcoholics Anonymous but for marijuana addicts, online drug counseling, and in-house rehabilitation.

This last option is the one I want to focus on.

Going to Specialized Rehab as a Treatment for Your Marijuana Addiction

The idea of going to rehab as part of your treatment can be fairly scary. The thing is though, if you are truly exhibiting the signs of marijuana addiction, especially if its effecting your family life, your job, or you ability to complete college, then…. sit back, take a deep breath, and consider what it would mean to go to rehab: you would go through a detoxification of marijuana in your system for one thing. You would supplement this would ongoing counseling one on one with someone who specializes in drug abuse and addictive behavior. You could very likely find yourself, if you wanted to, participating in a group session and reap the effects of positive peer pressure and all that comes along with opening up yourself to a group.

Most health insurance companies are going to drug abuse counseling and even in-house rehabilitation. It would likely require prior approval, which might include getting some sort of documented analysis from a doctor on the topic of being addicted to marijuana.

It really comes down to making the decision to deal with your marijuana addiction and then doing it.

Many of these rehab facilities offer luxurious perks and treatment plans for those going through detox, counseling, and other treatment for marijuana addiction. It’s not uncommon for them to offer high-scale hotel-like suites, pools, hot tubs, expansive outdoor (and private) nature get-aways, trails, and so on.

Drug Rehab centers such as Bayside Marina or Passages Malibu are like this. At this type of rehab facility, you can expect, honestly, an extremely high quality of comfort and care in your treatment for marijuana addiction.

What is it?
Marijuana is a mix of dried leaves and stems from the Cannibas Sativa plant. It is by far the most commonly used illegal drug in the USA. (More usage stats below.)

How is it sold?
Midrange to high quality marijuana is usually sold in increments as 8th of an ounce or a quarter of an ounce. It is also sold by the gram. It is common for lower grade marijuana is also sold in $5 and $10 amounts, known as nickel and dime bags.

How do people use marijuana?
By far the most common method of ingestion is smoking in a glass pipe or bong. In some cultures, Europe for example, marijuana is often mixed with tobacco and rolled into a joint. Marijuana can also be vaporized, cooked into brownies or other foods, made into a tea, and even into items such as chocolate. Other extraction methods are involved in creating marijuana-derivatives such as hash or resin, both of which are also smoked.

What are the effects?
Effects are wide-ranging, often contradicting one another. The intention, previous history with the drug, expectation, and setting, as well as quality or type of marijuana being smoked, greatly influence the effects. That being said, common effects include euphoria, light headedness, anxiety, paranoia, laughter, lethargy, apathy, and increased appetite (affectionately known as “the munchies”.)

How common is marijuana usage?
Marijuana use is widespread in the USA. Here’s a look at this a bit more in depth.

• NORML, a pro-marijuana group, states that 80 million Americans, at the time of the study, reported having used marijuana at least once. Of these, 20 million have used it in the last year. The latest government census states that the population of the USA is roughly 300 million people. Considering 80 million of them have tried marijuana and apparently it sounds like about 20 million use it currently – these numbers are significant!

One study found that…

• Percentage of 8th Graders who have tried marijuana at least once: 20% with 9% calling themselves ‘current users.’ (Unclear if that’s 9% of total number of 9% of the 20% who have tried it.)

• Percentage of 10th graders who have tried marijuana at least once: 40% with 20% reporting they were current users.

• Percentage of 12th graders who have tried marijuana at least once: 50% with 22% reporting they were current users.

Other Stats:

• Number of those seeking treatment for marijuana addiction: 150,000 per year, according to one, possibly suspect, website. (Other statistics have not been found to confirm this figure.)
• Interesting to note though, that not a single death has been attributed to using marijuana. This is significant to consider, as sometimes the hype around marijuana problems does get out of control.

Is it marijuana safe? Is it addictive?
These are complicated questions. It’s fair to say it’s safer than harder drugs yet not safe in the sense of causing delayed reaction time (while driving, for instance), not to mention the suffering it can inflict on the lungs via repeated smoking. This leads us to the next post and the next question on marijuana addiction i.e.  is marijuana addictive?